Mississippi must address recidivism

Officially, Mississippi says it doesn’t have much of a problem with inmates returning to prison after they get out.

Its reported recidivism rate is 32 percent, less than half the national rate of 66 percent.

The comparison, though, is flawed because Mississippi’s method of calculating the rate — and its propensity to excessively use incarceration to punish non-violent offenders — artificially understates the magnitude of the recidivism problem.

Mississippi calculates its recidivism rate based on the number of inmates who return to prison within three years. The national rate is based on five years.

Given the sluggish pace through which offenders are processed through the criminal justice system, three years is too short of a time frame to gauge how successfully former inmates are reintegrating into society. One criminology academic contacted by The Clarion-Ledger, which reported recently on the state’s “prison-to-prison pipeline,” said he was surprised Mississippi used a three-year time frame.

Another expert said he suspects Mississippi’s high incarceration rate — the second highest in the nation — also contributes to a lower-than-average recidivism rate. Because the state locks up more low-risk offenders than the norm, it dilutes the former inmate pool with individuals who are also less prone to be repeat offenders.

Mississippi should start calculating its recidivism rate based on the national standard of a five-year interval, rather than three, so it can have a more accurate and more comparable measuring stick. In the meantime, all the state can really go by is anecdotal evidence. In that respect, the problem is probably worse than it appears on paper.

Keith Starrett, a trailblazing former circuit judge from Pike County who now sits on the federal bench, describes recidivism in this state as “horrible.” Starrett chairs the Mississippi Reentry Council, which was established by the Legislature to recommend ways to smooth inmates’ return into society and reduce the chances that they will be back behind bars.

Corrections Commissioner Marshall Fisher has approached this issue with an open mind and a willingness to do things differently. He wants to implement a re-entry program in Mississippi modeled on one that has been successful at Louisiana’s Angola State Penitentiary. There, inmates can spend two years training in marketable skills — such as automotive repair, plumbing, culinary arts, heating and air conditioning work — so that they have a better chance of getting a job when they come out. The program is reporting a recidivism rate that’s one-fifth of Louisiana’s state average.

Fisher deserves the Legislature’s support in getting that and other programs — such as treating inmates’ mental health or addiction issues — either implemented or updated.

The purpose of incarceration is as much rehabilitation as it is punishment. If inmates come out of prison with a reasonable chance of gaining lawful employment, they are less likely to commit crimes and return to prison.

That’s beneficial for inmates and their families. It improves public safety and reduces how much taxpayer money is spent on corrections.